Homeschooling Fredrick Douglass – Today

This article is the 1st of 3 in a series for computer based
Homeschooling African American children during Black
History Month. It’s aim is to suggest a standards goal
for teaching our children at home in order to provide them
with an exceptional education to insure their future.
Homeschooling using a computer to bring the enormous
amount of information into our children’s classroom during
Black History Month can be a critical tool to
reaching a parents goal for a quality education.

Now while teaching your child to be like Fredrick Douglass
can seem like an impossible task, let’s look at a quote from
Fredrick Douglass himself to see what his thoughts would be…

Frederick Douglass once told a group of African American
students from a school in Talbot County, Maryland,
“What was possible for me is possible for you. Do not think because you are colored you cannot accomplish anything. Strive earnestly to add to your knowledge. So long as you remain in ignorance, so long will you fail to command the respect of your fellow men.”

So preparing your children to join the list of famous African Americans should not seem all that much of a challenge if we support our children to listen to Fredrick Douglass – “Strive earnestly to add to your knowledge.” That’s not too hard of a standard to set for computer based homeschooled children or their parents. There are a few steps that can be taken to effectively support homeschooled children in reaching the goal of becoming an
orator, motivational speaker, and one day join the list of
famous African Americans.

First up is the simplest one – read to them. Even if it’s just 30 minutes a day, it’s an important building block in helping children to add to their knowledge. All the experts, pundits, educational consultants etc., etc., were right reading is always fundamental. It fundamental in the his-story of Fredrick Douglass, it’s fundamental in the her-story of Buchi Emecheta a Nigerian author, fundamental enough for her to strive to be a librarian. Reading to children inspires them to read and generates a bond that will last always. It is just as important to suggest to your children what to read, and guide them into books written by and about the great African American heritage.

If you would like for your child to be an orator like Fredrick Douglass, the Sage of Anacostia, a most eloquent and skilled public speaker then give them an audience at an early age. I been in homeschools in Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Houston, and other cities and sometimes have seen parents take a microphone away from the 4 year old to give it to a child who is uncomfortable speaking. And I tell them give it back to the one who wants to be heard! If you have a child that seems to like the sound of their voice, then you may have a public speaker on your hands and it is your duty to give them the opportunity to become eloquent and
skilled. At the same time if your daughter just has the courage
to speak and not the vocabulary then she can look upward toward
Sojourner Truth who delivered her ‘Aint I A Woman’ speech to the
Woman’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. Even if your child
does not become a speaker, allowing him/her to sometimes enjoy
the sound of their voice encourages confidence and self-worth -
2 important characteristics for anyone to be a part of history
if not a famous African American in history.

Finally everyone must take into account the impact that the crucible of slavery had on Fredrick Douglass’ passion as the lion of black orators. Fredrick Douglass’ achievements may have been in another field to taken another form simply because of who he was in character – however Fredrick Douglass and slavery had an unmistakable tie in making his-story. Upon this there is no doubt and I would call for parents to give their children a similar passion with the impact from the crucible of love. Unflinching, unfailing, unmistakable love can give any character a passion for
principles that will cause them to be like a voice crying in the
wilderness…maybe even into African American history.

Computer based homeschooling can give your homeschooled child an
additional window into the world of African American history,
one filled with images, sounds and words. The time it would take
to add this resource to your children’s education would be even
more effective than not giving them any added tool to provide
them with the support they will most certainly need in the
world’s crucible of time.

Be sure to get the final 2 parts of this series on African American history and it’s part in computer based homeschooling your children.